Bevery Cleary's Dear Mr. Henshaw

¶ … Mr. Henshaw

A number of anecdotes in the early letters in Dear Mr. Henshaw will make a young reader groan in sympathy. The fact that students are given assignments to write to famous authors, for example, and that they dread long answers and 'extra questions' that will add to their work is a common theme. It also shows that Leigh does not begin his writing journey as a natural writer and reader. He is not in the school's Gifted and Talented program. He is reluctant to read more than one book, at first, and doesn't understand Mr. Henshaw's ironic humor when the author writes to him about a purple monster eating children who ask too many questions of authors when they could use the library. Over the course of his letters, however, Leigh discovers a truer, deeper joy in writing and reading. Writing begins as an assignment for Leigh, and gradually becomes a way for him to have a surrogate father in 'pretend' Mr. Henshaw that he does not have in his real father.

Question 2

A great deal of the humor of Cleary's novel derives from the ironic divide between the child's perspective and the author's shaping of the narrative, such as when Leigh writes: "Dear Mr. Henshaw, I am sorry I was rude in my last letter... Maybe I was mad about other things, like Dad forgetting to send this month's support payment. Mom tried to phone him at the trailer park where, as Mom says, he hangs his hat." Leigh does not at first understand the full implications of his father's irresponsibility in his mother's eyes, so he takes out by being angry at Mr. Henshaw's 'crummy' questions. A young reader can relate to Leigh's anger at being given an 'extra assignment' and the fact that his television is broken. An older reader can smile at Leigh's spirit while still feel sadness at the mother's poverty and the absent check. Leigh also has the anger typical of a 6th grade boy at having his lunch stolen, even though the reader feels sad that his enviable lunches with catering leftovers are one of the few bright spots in Leigh's life.

Question 3

Leigh engages in a number of creative endeavors over the course of the book that win him adult praise, beginning with answering Mr. Henshaw's questions (partially due to his mother's request, although he seems to unconsciously want to answer the author as well) and keeping a diary, also according to Mr. Henshaw's advice. Leigh uses the knowledge he has gained through reading to make an alarm for his lunch box (an endeavor his mother comes to support, as well as his new friend Barry) and finally wins honorable mention in a story contest. The fact that Leigh chooses to do all of these things (with occasional prompting) makes the young reader more likely to feel enthusiastic about reading him or herself. Cleary's humorous examples at the beginning of the book of the resistance to reading and writing on the part of students being given 'assignments' to write book reports or write to their favorite authors shows that she knows that young readers need to discover reading for themselves, and adults cannot compel them to love reading by force.

Question 4

Leigh's parents are lower-middle class and divorced. Leigh and his mother live in a mobile home, and Leigh's father is a truck driver. Leigh's mother is desperately trying to improve her family's lot through educating herself and getting a degree as a nurse and working for a local catering company. She also encourages her son to read and write. She does not get the family television repaired because it is 'rotting' her son's mind as well as for economic reasons, and she forces him to answer Mr. Henshaw's questions. Leigh's father is a decent man, but irresponsible and 'footloose' by nature: he has trouble taking care of Bandit the dog, let alone a boy. He tries to make amends by returning Bandit, but clearly his parenting style is not the type of support that Leigh requires to flourish. Leigh's far more emotionally mature mother said she married too young and regrets the fact that she never got a high-quality education. She clearly has higher aspirations for her son.